Time and Time Again

Two disabled former friends—both white and Jewish—reconnect and explore their feelings while stuck in a time loop in this heartfelt, pitch-perfect debut. In Lewiston, Fla., 17-year-old Phoebe has been stuck reliving August 6 for nearly a month. She worries that a wish she made during an intense IBS flare-up is why she’s trapped; now, she’s forever waiting for her anticipated appointment with a specialist whom she hoped wouldn’t dismiss her symptoms because of her weight. Everything changes when she encounters her former BFF, nonbinary and arthritic Jess, and discovers they’re also stuck. Horrified to learn that Phoebe hasn’t taken advantage of the “no consequences” aspect of the loop, Jess dubs themself a “certified fun guide” and pushes Phoebe into new activities, such as seeking revenge on a bully and hanging out with Jess’s brother’s band. As their time together blossoms into romance, Phoebe’s comfort in the certainty of the loop’s events chafes against Jess’s sudden desire to break the loop. Via sparkling prose, Greenfield crafts a magnetic romance between two disabled teens that highlights the realities of their experiences, comforting reconnection, and ways in which anxiety can distort perception. Ages 13–up. Agent: Natascha Morris, Tobias Literary. (July)